BART names Franklin police chief

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in San Francisco has appointed Kevin Franklin as chief of police.

A 27-year BART Police Department (BPD) veteran, Franklin was appointed interim chief in May.

"Chief Franklin is a lifelong BART rider with an intimate knowledge of the system and its police department," said BART General Manager Bob Powers in a news release. "Kevin was instrumental in BPD's new deployment strategy that has significantly increased the presence of uniformed police personnel on trains and in stations."

Recent BPD accomplishments in boosting rider safety under Franklin's leadership include:
• 349 felony arrests through July, the highest year-to-date total since the pandemic;
• an average response time to Priority 1 calls at approximately four minutes;
• offering competitive salaries to attract qualified officer candidates; and
• earned advance certification from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Franklin's tenure at BPD also includes previous service as deputy chief of the operations and support services bureaus; leader of the internal affairs division; and manager of security programs.